Wind had started to pick up and the gloomy sky had become dangerous. Bright flashes of lightening broke through the sky and thunder echoed across the sea. The docked cargo ship bobbed around in the water as if it was a lily pad in the Bras d’Or Lake. The wind was cool on Jason’s back as he shoved the last wooden box onto the ship. He loudly grunted and slid to the floor, deeply inhaling the salty air. Jason looked to the side of the ship at the rushing waves that crept over the side of the vessel. He had been working since the harsh, morning sun broke through at 6 am. Sweat had crusted through his shirt and plastered it to his dirt-encrusted skin.
Jason reached down to his backpack, happy to have this one moment of reprieve. Shuffling through the contents under the dim moonlight, he reached around, sentimentally grabbing a small, white tuner. His finger traced the divots of the speaker and over the rubber buttons. The touch stirred images of his mother through his head. He pictured times of their joint music sessions, when he was younger. Being around Cape Breton long enough, his mother had picked up some of its magic. Which in turn, gave her the skill to instantly play any musical instrument. At that age, Jason was too young to harness any significant magic, but he would still try his best to play along with her.
He placed the tuner down gently to the boat’s surface and ran a hand through his unkept hair, peering up at the midnight sky. With a quick shift of the waves, the tuner slid down the boat, slamming into the hull and off the deck.
“Shit. Dammit no. No. No,” Jason yelled as he quickly stood up and ran to the edge. He leaned over as far as he could peer into the endless sea. The white box quickly sinking in the rushing waves. He gripped the railing and swung his legs over the edge of the ship, clenching his teeth as he looked at the distance below. In that second, he let go, descending into the stormy sea.
His back collided with the unmerciful smack of the icy ocean. He blindly reached around for the tuner, but found nothing within reach. Frantically, Jason swung his arms around, churning the ocean and working to stay afloat.
He took a deep breath, and propelled himself to the bottom of the sea. The echoing of clanging from the metal ship filled his ears as he descended into the murky depths.
The waves continued to knock against him and the icy temperature began to sink in as Jason bobbed up and down in the waves. He began to delve deeper into the water and found himself unable to rise. Every breath came with gulps of water and every movement, now painful.
A flash of pink shot through the sky above Jason’s head and dropped a neon orange object beside him. A girl’s voice could be faintly heard through the rushing sea yelling, “Grab the life vest!”
Jason sluggishly gripped onto the vest and regained some of his breath. The flash of pink shot through the air once again and pulled on a rope that had been attached to the vest. As she flew by in the sky, Jason become closer and closer to shore. Once close enough, a small girl descended, her bright pink skin and green hair glistening in the faint moonlight. She collapsed onto the ground beside him, trying to regain her breath.
“What kind of idiot, decides to swim on a night like this? I might be half-fae, but I’m a nine-year-old in size. You’re way too heavy.”
He let out a deep sigh and looked up at the night sky with a half-lidded gaze.
“And not even a thank you? Man, I wished I had just kept flying by. You’re lucky my mom hates when I fly in the house, or I wouldn’t even be here right now.”
Jason rolled over and coughed up some water, before making eye-contact with his rescuer. He sat up with his elbows and murmured a quiet, “I'm sorry, thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I still want to know why you were out there anyways.You're lucky you're alive right now. I rarely see anyone swimming this late, unless it's some of the water-power fae. Which, you aren’t, right?”
Jason rolled his eyes and dusted off his sand-encrusted pants. Looking towards the ground he stated, “I would be a pretty shit fae, if I was.”
The girl let out a small giggle that turned into a sigh.
“You know, I go to the docks and look at the cargo ships sometimes. I only go late at night when my mom and siblings are asleep. But, I like to go and think about leaving. I’ve always been jealous of my half-brother; he doesn’t have any of this magic. Even if he did, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell. My skin and hair are usually a dead giveaway. I’m expected to just stay in Cape Breton forever, and I can’t wrap my head around that kind of restriction.”
Jason stood up, offering the girl a hand, and began to walk back to the ship.
“You can come aboard if you want.”
They walked to the ship silently, both reflecting on their own thoughts, while the storm raged on around them.
Jason broke the silence replying, “It's even worse to be on the ship all day, every day, knowing that it will always leave without you. I’d like to leave too and start over without all these memories of my mom on this island, but I’ll always be here to continue the family business, my dad just can't do it on his own.”
Thoughts of foreign places and new people filled both of their heads, as they gazed back at the small island. They stood there for a few moments, just thinking of other places besides Cape Breton, and began to descend off the ship.
As they headed back, a small white box tumbled back onto the shore, forgotten until tomorrow.
Jason reached down to his backpack, happy to have this one moment of reprieve. Shuffling through the contents under the dim moonlight, he reached around, sentimentally grabbing a small, white tuner. His finger traced the divots of the speaker and over the rubber buttons. The touch stirred images of his mother through his head. He pictured times of their joint music sessions, when he was younger. Being around Cape Breton long enough, his mother had picked up some of its magic. Which in turn, gave her the skill to instantly play any musical instrument. At that age, Jason was too young to harness any significant magic, but he would still try his best to play along with her.
He placed the tuner down gently to the boat’s surface and ran a hand through his unkept hair, peering up at the midnight sky. With a quick shift of the waves, the tuner slid down the boat, slamming into the hull and off the deck.
“Shit. Dammit no. No. No,” Jason yelled as he quickly stood up and ran to the edge. He leaned over as far as he could peer into the endless sea. The white box quickly sinking in the rushing waves. He gripped the railing and swung his legs over the edge of the ship, clenching his teeth as he looked at the distance below. In that second, he let go, descending into the stormy sea.
His back collided with the unmerciful smack of the icy ocean. He blindly reached around for the tuner, but found nothing within reach. Frantically, Jason swung his arms around, churning the ocean and working to stay afloat.
He took a deep breath, and propelled himself to the bottom of the sea. The echoing of clanging from the metal ship filled his ears as he descended into the murky depths.
The waves continued to knock against him and the icy temperature began to sink in as Jason bobbed up and down in the waves. He began to delve deeper into the water and found himself unable to rise. Every breath came with gulps of water and every movement, now painful.
A flash of pink shot through the sky above Jason’s head and dropped a neon orange object beside him. A girl’s voice could be faintly heard through the rushing sea yelling, “Grab the life vest!”
Jason sluggishly gripped onto the vest and regained some of his breath. The flash of pink shot through the air once again and pulled on a rope that had been attached to the vest. As she flew by in the sky, Jason become closer and closer to shore. Once close enough, a small girl descended, her bright pink skin and green hair glistening in the faint moonlight. She collapsed onto the ground beside him, trying to regain her breath.
“What kind of idiot, decides to swim on a night like this? I might be half-fae, but I’m a nine-year-old in size. You’re way too heavy.”
He let out a deep sigh and looked up at the night sky with a half-lidded gaze.
“And not even a thank you? Man, I wished I had just kept flying by. You’re lucky my mom hates when I fly in the house, or I wouldn’t even be here right now.”
Jason rolled over and coughed up some water, before making eye-contact with his rescuer. He sat up with his elbows and murmured a quiet, “I'm sorry, thank you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I still want to know why you were out there anyways.You're lucky you're alive right now. I rarely see anyone swimming this late, unless it's some of the water-power fae. Which, you aren’t, right?”
Jason rolled his eyes and dusted off his sand-encrusted pants. Looking towards the ground he stated, “I would be a pretty shit fae, if I was.”
The girl let out a small giggle that turned into a sigh.
“You know, I go to the docks and look at the cargo ships sometimes. I only go late at night when my mom and siblings are asleep. But, I like to go and think about leaving. I’ve always been jealous of my half-brother; he doesn’t have any of this magic. Even if he did, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell. My skin and hair are usually a dead giveaway. I’m expected to just stay in Cape Breton forever, and I can’t wrap my head around that kind of restriction.”
Jason stood up, offering the girl a hand, and began to walk back to the ship.
“You can come aboard if you want.”
They walked to the ship silently, both reflecting on their own thoughts, while the storm raged on around them.
Jason broke the silence replying, “It's even worse to be on the ship all day, every day, knowing that it will always leave without you. I’d like to leave too and start over without all these memories of my mom on this island, but I’ll always be here to continue the family business, my dad just can't do it on his own.”
Thoughts of foreign places and new people filled both of their heads, as they gazed back at the small island. They stood there for a few moments, just thinking of other places besides Cape Breton, and began to descend off the ship.
As they headed back, a small white box tumbled back onto the shore, forgotten until tomorrow.